After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing. I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity."- Dwight D. Eisenhower

What are you going to do this Month of Months? This month of the foot soldier.Put your heart in prison for a moment to feel their sacrifice. Imagine the bullet before it cuts you down--your children, your wife, your world, a life. Imagine abject fear of chaos, screams of agony, torment in your ears as your brothers die miraculously slow deaths of torment all around you, all day, day after day after day after day. The horror.

Do you feel it?

If so, that is your Memorial Moment.

Feel it for them . . . just a moment taken from your peace and prosperity . . . your comfort.

Just a moment.

Feel it for them.

They who gave it all for your peace and prosperity.

What are you doing this Month of the Soldier?

Norman Douglas, he tells us, "You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertising." How do we honor the fallen soldier

, with a sale? http://searchwarp.com/swa480926-Its-More-Than-Memorial-Day-How-Do-You-Honor-The-Fallen-Soldier.htm

How might your life have been different if, when you were a young woman, uncertain about something within, there had been a place where you could be with older women?....and if as you simply sat with those women, you knew, somehow, that they knew about uncertainty themselves.

If, one, by one, each woman had spoken into the silence, of woman's intuition, of her sensitivity to life...and of the pain her sensitivit might bring. And the women had spoken quietly, of the strength they knew was needed for a woman to choose to stay vulnerable to her own sensitivity.

And, that today, as you listned in the silence...you sensed the intensity and power in those women...and felt grateful that they had chosen to stay faithful to the truth within themselves...How mitght your life be different?from, I Sit Listening to the wind....by judith duerk..

Did you watch ally McBeeal when it was on television? I knew it was a big hit but I never checked it out until recently. It's on DVD and I'm working my way through 10 seasons I think....and loving the them. Great writing...great cast. It is warm and fuzzy. Makes me smile and laugh out loud. My favorite parts of the show are the dance sequences in the bar and in the unisex bathroom at the law firm where all the characters work...I wish there were more of these musical blips to share with you but this one is good...it really demonstrates the love the characters have for each other. Biscuit the shorter of the two men here has this Barry White song that he uses to empower himself...the fun part is that he is the only one who hears the music...

Way, way, back in my history, in the late 60's, my girlfriend and I were hanging out with friends in San Francisco and we decided to go get tattooed. Tattoo artist Lyle Tuttle had a little shop not far from where we were so we headed down, stood in line for over an hour and waited for our turn with excitement and anxiety mixing.We felt like we were breaking some archaic rule against women getting tattoos...Tuttle had been creating buzz for himself by tattooing people likeCher, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, etc.All I wanted was the little butterfly above in the photo...

over the years that little butterfly has come to represent freedom and change. And it had become very faded...

When asked what made tattooing gain in popularity during his early career, Tuttle responded:

"Womens liberation! One hundred percent womens liberation! That put tattooing back on the map. With women getting a new found freedom, they could get tattooed if they so desired. It increased and opened the market by 50% of the population - hell of the human race! For three years, I tattooed almost nothing but women. "

So lovely daughters #1 & #2 pooled their money and bought me a new tattoo for Mother's Day.Last Saturday we met for lunch, and then headed to the local tattoo shop where I had a 2pm appointment to get my faded little butterfly made over into something much more glorious.

I knew Jeremy, the Tat Man, was an artist....he 'painted' this beautiful scene on daughter#1's back. Yes, I know it's big...and not for everyone, but it suits her, and makes her happy, and it's beautiful, and it's not on her face!

I had no apprehension or anxiety this time.

I've known jeremey since he was 5...he was the cutest red-headed little boy, so mischievous ...He and daughter # 1 have been friends since kindergarten. His mom has been my friend since our first meeting at our daughter's dance class. I was at Jeremy and his beautiful wife Enis's baby shower. So knowing him....

I was ready for the new experience of spending the afternoon in a modern day tattoo parlor.

Jeremy knew I wanted a butterfly...there was a little sketch...we picked out my colors...purple, blue, yellow...I gave him free reign to do his thing.The outlining in black feels a little intense...I think my meditation practice served me. And after a very short time I realized that the pain was going to be easy to ignore, and I was able to relax into it.

The music was loud, but bless jeremy's heart, he switched it from heavy metal to the Doors, something he probably enjoys, himself and puts on for 'older' folks, who are still decorating their bodies with other peoples art.... So loud was alright..even good...

....in fact it sent me back to a time when I would hitchhike into the City and go to Filmore and Winterland to hear the music of the Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane, B.B. King, Santana, The Doors, Janis Joplin....all the bands that were part of the S.F. Summer of Love culture. And all my colorful friends from that time.

We chatted a little about his new baby girl Athena, who he loves and adores as he does the baby's mother, his wife...his sense of responsibility to them is strong and deep...his love is evident when he looks at them. I was aware that he didn't like to talk a lot while tattooing,so mostly we were comfortably silent ...I appreciate his desire to give full attention to what he is doing....he's leaving his mark.

The whole experience was enjoyable and look at my new tat...!!

I think it's beautiful!!!...the picture doesn't do it justice..and it's still a little bumpy...but healing beautifully. I think it not only represents freedom and change, but it's also a symbol of things to come.....of looking forward to a kaleidoscope of new experiences....growth, creativity, exploration...a joyful new phase in my life....

..…When the Buddha was seeking ways to avoid the suffering all humans experience, he saw greed and desire as obstacles to human experiencing joy and reaching enlightenment. He believed there was a way to overcome these realities and he set off to find answers. He tried to find enlightenment through depriving his body of food and comfort. He even practiced self-mortification.

After nearly starving himself to death he reconsidered his path. He decided that the middle ground between over indulgence of worldly gifts and deprivation held the answer. That joy was the answer…but in order to achieve this joy one must look inside oneself.

One day he sat himself down under the Bodhi tree and vowed he would not rise until he found a way around human suffering....and he began the journey within.

Well, he wasn’t sitting for very long when Mara, The Lord of Desire noticed what he was doing…

Mara became concerned that if people learned how to overcome desire his game would be over. So Mara sent his daughters to Buddha to try and tempt him from his path. When this didn’t work he gathered his Demons for a full out attack against Buddha…….

Mara said that the seat of enlightenment belonged to him, not a mortal…. Mara’s horrible demon soldiers cried out that they were Mara‘s witnesses to the throne. Then Mara asked Buddha, “Who will witness for you?“ Buddha reached down his hand and touched the earth. The earth shook and answered, “I am his witness’. The shaking of the Earth scared off both Mara and his Demons...Mara realized the power of the Earth.

Buddha continued to sit through the night…and as the morning light came Buddha opened his eyes and looked to the morning star and once again he touched the Earth and said,

“as the Earth is my witness all beings and I will awaken together.”

The point of this abbreviated story of how Buddha became enlightened is that he recognized that the Earth was a powerful life force, and a powerful giving force. She gives us everything we need to experience joy.

It feels to me like we have forgotten this. We are not treating Her so very well. And because we aren’t we are poisoning Her gifts. And the OCEAN, the poor ocean…we seem to view it as either something we can dump stuff in or take things from....not as though our life depends on a healthy ocean.

I went to my studio this morning and when I turned on the radio a woman was discussing various cancers and how they are related to pollution….Later I came up to the house, turned on the TV to see if it was still going to rain today and a woman was talking about the direct link in children with ADHD and pesticides in their food.

I look at the horrendous oil spill in the gulf and I wonder what we humans are possibly thinking that allows something like this to happen?…and why there weren’t already plans put in place to clean up the oil, stop the leak.

We knew this would happen someday.

I was talking with a friend the other day about the oil spill and I asked the age old question, “what kind of future are we leaving our grandchildren”….and she said to me, “through history, I believe the same thoughts have been there, and some how we all survive…“ So maybe it doesn’t really matter…we’ve been heading in this direction for so long, maybe surviving is good enough….we don’t need to worry about the quality of life?

I know that we all do things to lighten our footprint on this planet….but maybe what is needed now is our joined voices loudly demanding that the people in power clean up their acts….Honor Earth the way she should be honored.

I’ve been thinking about the miracle of the internet. It really is an amazing tool for us to reach out and grow our lives. I started blogging because an artist friend bugged me for about a year…she said, “all artists need a blog“….so I did it.

I created When the Spirit Moves Me.

It was supposed to be about my Spirit Figures only…nothing particularly personal…but my figures are personal and so I haven’t been able to separate me from what I do to make money….my art is part of my heart…marketing, not so much. I know what I post about doesn’t always resonate with you but you hang in anyway…thank you for that…although I did lose a follow a few days ago…It was probably the self-portrait that sent them running.

But back to the miracle.

I know you already know this, but I’ve never given it much thought until now. I’ve met someone through blogging recently who has solidified the gift of going out into cyberspace to meet Kindred Spirits…I’ve met so many of you who are Kindred’s. You have gifted me through your words and pictures…sometimes we communicate via email, sometimes not…but going to your blogs and reading your offerings can set the tone of my day, or can change a not so good day to a much better one.

You inspire me with your art, and how you wear your hearts on you sleeves. You offer up a wealth of information I would never have time to find on my own.The honesty of what you share of your personal strengths and weaknesses, your goals and accomplishments…your everyday life stuff is powerful reading….It is really quite amazing how energy, tangible energy,comes through time and space to this little screen in front of me. It’s pretty miraculous how your energy mixes and mingles with mine to make the world a far more interesting place than it would be if I’d never met you.

Kindred Spirits

If we should touch, hand to heartYou would feel my soul within you.Knowing not, from where we endThe start of melding flesh and sinew.

Magical and mysterious.Illogical and curious.Beyond the present state of mindA kindred spirit can't be defined.

But gentle as the morning airAnd consistent as the setting sun.A kindred love is always therePredestined to the other ones.

We know no space or time constraintsWe see and feel internallyWe somehow sense the others thoughtsWe share these bonds permanently.

Once touched by a kindred's loveYou'll recognize them everywhere.They have no gender, age or raceOr length of time set for you to share.

The purpose of this special bondHas yet to reveal itself to meBut kindred's have helped to free my soulTeach me love, guide and protect me.

Found a kindred in your life?Cherish your luck, offer your timeNo deeper moment will you knowNo greater blessing will you find.

julia ferguson ~ August through October, 1997

Written in an attempt to define the spiritual and intense friendships and acquaintances I have had over the years that happen without effort but seem to have great purpose.

And when I returned the Bear had erected this pole of Pray Flags reaching to the sky above my studio garden..

.

May my feet rest firmly on the groundMay my head touch the skyMay I see clearlyMay I have the capacity to listenMay I be free to touchMay my words be trueMay my heart and mind be openMay my hands be empty to fill the needMay my arms be open to othersMay my gifts be reveled to meSo I may return that which has been givenCompleting the great circle.~the therma collective

This article is well worth the read....beautiful, inspiring and hopeful..enjoy

"Our World Is In Peril, How Do You Cope?"

by John Robbins

I am someone who longs for world peace. Perhaps you are, too. But every single day our world spends more than $4 billion on war. The last hundred years have been by far the bloodiest in human history. I support human rights and human dignity. I want every child to grow up healthy and strong. No doubt you do, too. But today, like every day, 20,000 children will die of hunger and poverty. Even in the world's wealthiest country, the U.S., nearly 25 percent of children live below the poverty line. I believe in upholding the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people. I believe in the inherent worth of every human being. But we live in a time of grotesque inequalities. There are shoe companies who pay famous athletes $20 million to endorse their shoes, while paying their workers only 20 cents an hour to make them. The CEOs of some companies make more money in an hour than many of the company's employees make in a year.

Many of the world's spiritual traditions teach that inner peace is found when you love the world as it is, rather than faulting it for not living up to your expectations. But our addictions are not only damaging our spirits, they are also causing irreparable harm to the biosphere and to humanity's future.

I believe in holding a positive attitude toward life. But the rate at which forests are disappearing, coral reefs are deteriorating, the arctic ice cap is melting, and species are going extinct is undermining the capacity of the earth to support human life. I draw strength from my kinship with animals. Some of my best friends have had four legs. Perhaps you, too, have had a relationship with an animal that has enriched you as a human being. But today, almost all of our meat and dairy products come from animals raised under conditions of horrific cruelty.

There are so many kinds of pain and loss in our times. There is illness and financial stress, there is growing unemployment and homelessness, there are oil spills and terrorists. It can seem that our little flickering candles of faith are no match for the hurricane winds of destruction and despair the world can so relentlessly blow our way. There are things happening in our world today that must make the angels weep.Here's what I believe. If you are going to face the suffering and destruction of life, and if you want to find a way to be effective and positive in response, you must also be open to the life affirming powers of creativity and joy. It can sometimes seem that we are on a planetary death march, and yet we are also living in an age of miracles. Some are so common we often take them for granted. There is the miracle of color and the miracle of music. There is the miracle of tears and the miracle of laughter. There is the miracle of breathing and the miracle of sunsets. There is the miracle of people continuing to strive for a happier world even in the face of devastation and grief.

At this very moment, people are learning new ways to communicate, to understand each other, and to resolve conflicts. Right now, people are learning to read, while others are writing poetry, and others are dancing and singing. With every breath you take, relationships are growing, new health-giving practices are being discovered, ancient feuds are being overcome, and people are finding ways to restore their connections to the living earth. At this moment, as in every moment, ever growing numbers of people are working for a better world for themselves and for all children, now and yet to come.

We are not done. Our despair is not meant to destroy us but to awaken new life in us. Our wounds can give us depth, empathy and understanding. Our hardships can be places where we meet others and grow. Yes, there is ugliness, which is why it matters when we bring beauty. Yes, there is great suffering, so let us live with great compassion. This is what I have to say at this time in history. There are forces at work in the human psyche that are destructive and unconscious. And yet there is also something in us that is wondrous, that touches the infinite and belongs to the sacred.Let us stand for this. Our dreams and prayers are rooted in something greater than the forces of death. Our grief and fury at the world's brutalities are part of our awakening. There is something mysterious taking place in this world that is part of our healing. With all its delusions and broken dreams, our world today is still a place where our hearts can meet and grow wings. There is horror and agony here, yes, and it is at times overwhelming. But there are also countless opportunities for the illumination of beauty and the awakening of love.

We are not done. There are sources of joy here, and we are here to protect them and cherish them. We are not done. We can still make our lives into works of art. We can still create thriving, just and sustainable ways of life. Bitter winds are howling. Let them howl. We can shelter each other and put our little flames together. Maybe we will yet find that the pain we feared would destroy us rather brings us back to what gives us life.

We are here to live, not merely survive. We are here to fully express and celebrate the gifts we each have to give to the world, and to receive the gifts that others have to give to us, as well. Let us touch with love the inevitable suffering in our lives, and in the lives of those we meet. Let us tend with tender mercy that which is dying in us and in our world. And let us welcome the new life dawning in each of our souls. We who are alive, with breath in our bodies and love in our hearts, have so very much to be thankful for. In all that takes place over the course of our lives, may we never lose track of our capacity for joy. And may we never forget the power of the choices we make."- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/our-world-is-in-peril-how_b_563185.html

A week or so ago I received an email inviting me to join the Inspiring Women Summit, you may have got one too..it looked like it might be rich with feminine wisdom, so I signed up...it only took a minute...it started on Saturday May 1

It's freeIt's a teleconference thing, but if you miss a call you can download the session lateror read the transcripts.I haven't been part of the teleconferencing yet, but I have uploaded some of the of sessions and I've enjoyed what I heard and I'll go back for more.It may turn out to be a real tool for growth and change and connection....I think it might be...during the first session it is stated that the world needs more, and stronger feminine energy...

Some of the topics to be covered..spiritualityleadershiprelationshipsempowermentfulfillmententrepreneurshipA few of the speakersSona Choquette,Marianne Williamson,Sherry Anderson,way too many for me to remember..lolMaybe we will see each other there?

I was a guest artist at an area Open Studio tour on Saturday....I shared display space with my friend and fellow fiber artist Vivian Helena. We were on the front lawn at the home of Kathleen Mattox, her studio was on the tour.Any of you who have done outside shows know how much work they are...the packing up, loading the car, setting up the 'ez-up' (never so easy) unpacking the art...displaying it nicely and then reversing it 8 hours later...I always worry over the weather of course rain is a disaster but the wind can do sneak attacks.....Yesterdays show went very well...smooth set up and take down, lot's of appreciative people...and some left with a Spirit Figure.....

The weather was beautiful.

Of course sales are very nice but the best part of the day were the people who come to appreciate our art....and yesterday several friends also made the trip...one of them was my lovely friend/daughter Camille Cole....pictured above and below on her big black motorcycle....She is a truly special young woman with a bright spirit...and I love her dearly...seeing her made the day extra special.....she is a gift in my life.She is also an amazing artist who has shown her jewelry in New York, Palm Springs and in Belize where she owns property.

Camille and I meet about 8 years ago which seems impossible. We both had kiosks at Coarsegold's Historic Village. She made beautiful jewelry which she sold out of her bead shop. I had Feather Moon Gallery and Gifts...My sign was this wonderful judy DeRosa original..

I opened the little 10'x10' shop with jewelry artist josie Two Feathers...

The photo above is of our Blessing Ceremony for the opening of Feather Moon...we are on the porch holding hands in a prayer circle as each of the 30 or so friends and family members who came to share in the ceremony offered us a blessing for our new business. It was a beautiful evening.Josie is to my right...judy DeRosa next to her with Salinas Dan on judy's right.

Josie moved about 6 months later. I kept my little gallery open for almost 4 years before it just got too hard to be open the required hours and still create.

During that time Camille and I had alot of fun and really became good, good, friends. We'd be there winter and summer....bad weather and good....

During the summer we made a little garden with misting tubes to keep us alive when the temperature would hit 100+ and we'd bring fresh fruit and pull out the blender and make up the yummiest smoothies...in the winter we'd bring a crock pot and have homemade soup and fresh bread...and we bonded.

This little spirit I called Hope - "Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words and never stops at all" Emily Dickinson, found a home yesterday...

Does this resonate...?

“A new consciousness and a totally new morality are necessary to bring about a radical change in the present culture and social structure. This is obvious, yet the Left and the Right and the revolutionary seem to disregard it. Any dogma, any formula, any ideology is part of the old consciousness; they are the fabrications of thought whose activity is fragmentation - the Left, the Right, the centre. This activity will inevitably lead to bloodshed of the Right or of the Left or to totalitarianism. This is what is going on around us. One sees the necessity of social, economic, and moral change but the response is from the old consciousness, thought being the principal actor. The mess, the confusion, and the misery that human beings have got into are within the area of the old consciousness, and without changing that profoundly,every human activity- political, economic or religious- will only bring us to the destruction of each other and of the earth.”

copyrights....

You can't copy anybody and end up with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling....Billie Holidayfrom The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women...a portable mentor.....

A prayer....

May my feet rest firmly on the groundMay my head touch the skyMay I see clearlyMay I have the capacity to listenMay I be free to touchMay my words be trueMay my heart and mind be openMay my hands be empty to fill the needMay my arms be open to othersMay my gifts be reveled to meSo I may return that which has been givenCompleting the great circle.~the therma collective

me

I'm a mixed media fiber artists...A lifetime ago I attended a Goddess Doll Workshop given by jasa Johnson..the experience changed my life. It is there thatI met my muse...the Goddess Nu Kua. Her myth is that she created the world but was all alone with the beauty of it. So she created human spirits to keep her company and share in the magic. In my life she has provided me with endless inspiration to create the divine feminine in the form of what I call Spirit Figures..When she came into my life everything about my journey changed...
The Spirit Figures I create with her guidance feel as though they have more than just form...they have spirit. They have found homes all over the world...what a gift for me...xo

In the works....

Dear Julie! The pleasure was definitely all mine!!! I love what we created and the time spent with the nice women and YOU!!! I named my doll "Avia". She is proudly hanging with all of yours in my living room. I thought you would like to know that I have started 3 more. I have "Mother Nature" ready to get a body, a cat (who's head is a bit large and heavy?? ack! and a small face, yet to be determined. I bought decorative pieces and fabrics based on "feeling" as I shop along. I feel as if you have opened a whole new world to me, and for that I thank and bless you, my friend! I am amazed at my own ability to restrain myself and not feel "rushed" to completion on these soft sculptures. I like to let them make their own "evolution" of sorts. I usually feel a sense of urgency to get things done quickly, to see it done, but not with these. Thank you for your generosity of spirit and love. I love you and your beautiful soul. Hugs, Lisa

Hi Julie,

Well no wonder I was drawn to it - I've been calling Celtic energy to myself for several years now! :-)

I loved the workshop, being surrounded by women's energy, tapping into creative energy, and just giving myself a day to be free. And, I love my doll! She has an honored place in my home.

Thank you so much for sharing your creative inspiration with us!

Peace and blessings, Alcia

I loved the "entire" day. Good play, good times, good food, great company! My "goddess" is wonderful. It's amazing how everyone created their own "person" - THANK YOU!!!

My friends Ellen, Laurel and Alisha also had a great day. Can't wait for your mask workshop!!

Karin

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.Will Rogers

Buddha said, "What you are is what you have been, what you will be is what you do now." Padmasambhava said, "If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look at your present actions." ....from the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying